Releasable locking means for pivoting-traveling outer jaw wrenches



L. C. MEAD May 20, 1947.

RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS FOR PIVOTING-TRAVELING OUTER JAW WRENCH Filed Dec. 14, 1945 INVENTOR L.C.Mead

ATTYS Patented May 20, 1947 RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS FOR PIVOT- ING-TRAVELING OUTER JAW WRENCHES Lawrence C. Mead, Turlock, Calif.

Application December 14, 1943, Serial No. 514,271

3 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe wrenches, and particularly represents improvements over my Patent No. 2,315,807, dated April 6, 1943.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a self-cleaning pawl or holding member for the ratchet teeth of the sliding shank of the wrench; an improved self-locking mounting for said member; and an improved mounting and control means for said shank and its surrounding yoke so that the release of the shank from the holding member is facilitated and the shank may move more freely and easily.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear bya perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the wrench with the yoke in section, and showing the movable jaw held against sliding movement.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the holding member released from the sliding shank.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the wrench as a whole is of substantially the same general form and construction as shown in the aforementioned patent, and comprises a handle 5 terminating in a relatively deep portion 2, at the outer end of which is a fixed jaw 3.

Mounted in the portion 2 intermediate its ends and adjacent one edge is a cross pin a which forms the pivot mount for a frame or yoke 5 of U-shaped cross section which extends some distance beyond said edge. This edge of the handle a portion 2 is formed concentric with the pin 4 for a certain arcuate extent, as at t, and a relatively long notch or recess 7 is cut in the portion 2 beyond the pin and on the side thereof opposite the jaw, for the purpose which will be seen.

Slidable in the yoke is a straight shank 8 having a jaw 9 on its outer end, which of course cooperates with the jaw 3. One edge of the shank rests on and can rock about the curved edge 6, while the opposite end of the shank is spaced from and is normally parallel to the inner top edge of the yoke.-

Formed in said opposite edge of the shank is a row of ratchet teeth It], several of which at a time are adapted to cooperate with the teeth ll of a holding block or panel H2. The teeth ll, however, are spaced so as to engage alternate ones only of the teeth I0, thus leaving spaces or openings l3 between adjacent teeth I l into which dirt 2 can slide from the teeth, and from which it can escape. There is thus no danger of the shank and holding teeth, which are necessarily relatively small, becoming clogged so that they will not properly engage with each other, as is of course necessary.

The block i2 is disposed betwen the sides of the yoke in clearance relation and is formed with a substantially semi-spherical head [4 swivelly socketed in the top of the yoke adjacent its for- Ward end and ahead of the pin 4. A stud i5 extends upwardly from the head through a clearance opening in the yoke and through a leaf spring l s of saddle form transversely of the yoke, which spring engages the yoke at its side edges but clears the top of the yoke somewhat. A nut ii on the stud engages the spring and maintains the same under compression so that the head M is firmly retained in its seat, while being capable of swivel movement.

In order to hold the nut against retraction without the use of a lock washer or the like, the under side of the nut is concaved in one direction only, as shown at iii in Fig. 3, to fit the spring. The nut can thus only be advanced or retracted by a positive rota-tive pressure applied thereto to further compress the spring.

The shank 8 is yieldably turned about the curved surface s so that said shank normally rests on the adjacent edge of the handle portion 2 between said surface and the jaw 3, by a substantially U-shaped spring 19 which extends lengthwise of and is seated in the recess 1, and which bears at its free end against a cross pin 28 mounted in the yoke between the spring and shank, and which is disposed in a plane intermediate the ends of the recess.

The action of the spring I9 is opposed by a stronger leaf spring 2| secured in the yoke and "J extending away from the block it to engage the adjacent edge of the shank beyond the row of teeth, and at a point substantially midway between the shank contacting point of the surface 6 and the edge 22 of the handle immediately back of the recess. The spring 2]! acts to yieldably maintain the shank and the top of the yoke in substantial parallelism and the teeth of the block relative to the shank (which is then obviously held against rotation or swinging) so as to clear the teeth I I from the teeth Ill, as shown in Fig. 2. The shank is then free to be slid lengthwise relative to the yoke and the handle in a movement which is facilitated by the centralized pressure of the spring 2|, causing the shank to bear with equal friction against the surface 6 and the edge 22 so that there is no tendency for the yoke to tip or rock.

The provision of a plurality of spaced teeth on the holding member l2 provides ample holding strength for any pressure which may be placed on the shank, while providing for a self-cleaning action of the teeth, as is of course highly desirable.

It will also be seen that the pawl and shank teeth remain firmly engaged, with any rocking of the shank and yoke, until pin 20 has passed into recess 1, and is below a line drawn between point 22 and the center of pin 4. The shank can thus be easily shifted back and forth, while firmly contacting two points only on the handle.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wrench including a handle having a fixed jaw at one end, a yoke, means pivoting the yoke n the handle adjacent one edge thereof and adjacent the jaw; said edge being curved concentric with the pivot for a short arcuate extent and having a longitudinal recess therein on the side of the pivot opposite the jaw, a shank slidable in the yoke and having a jaw On its outer end, said shank being adapted to rock on one edge about said curved edge, a row of teeth along the opposite edge of the shank, a cooperating tooth in the yoke between the pivot and jaws, the shank being spaced from the top of the yoke, means including a spring mounted in the recess tending to rock the shank and yoke as a unit in one direction, and a relatively strong spring between the yoke and shank tending to rotate the yoke relative to the shank in a direction to hold the teeth in mesh; the first named spring being capable of compression sufficient to enable the adjacent edge of the shank to simultaneously engage points on the handle edge ahead of and immediately beyond the recess and the last named spring then engaging the shank at a point substantially midway between said two points of the handle edge,

2. A wrench including a handle having a fixed jaw at one end, a yoke, means pivoting the yoke on the handle adjacent one edge thereof and adjacent the jaw; said edge being curved concentric with the pivot for a short arcuate extent and having a longitudinal recess therein on the side of the pivot opposite the jaw, a shank slidable in the yoke and having a jaw on its outer end, said shank being adapted to rock its under edge back from an operative position about said curved edge until the shank edge also engages a point on the handle edge immediately back of the recess, a row of teeth along the opposite edge of the shank, a cooperating tooth in the yoke adapted to become disengaged upon relative rocking of the shank and yoke in one direction, a cross pin in the yoke between the shank and handle positioned normally clear of but adapted to enter the recess upon rocking of the yoke and shank about the handle and to lie below a line drawn between the axis of the pivot means and said handle-edge point upon further rocking of the yoke relative to the shank after said shank edge is engaged with said handle-edge point, a spring acting on the yoke to rock the same in a direction to hold the pin clear of the recess and a stronger spring between the yoke and shank acting to normally hold the pin against the under edge of the shank and preventing rocking of the yoke relative to the shank in a tooth releasing direction.

3. A wrench comprising a handle having a relatively wide end terminating in a fixed jaw, a pivot pin mounted transversely through the wide end of the handle adjacent one edge thereof, a U-shaped yoke embracing the wide end of said handle and mounted on said pivot pin, the said one edge of the handle having an enlarged arcuate portion concentric with the pin to form a bearing point, the said one edge also being provided with a recess to the side of the pin opposite that on which the jaw is located, the handle sloping away from the end of the recess which is remote from the pin to form a second bearing point, a shank slidable in the yoke and having a jaw on its outer end co-operating with the fixed jaw, one edge of said shank bearing against and being rockable about said first bearing point, a row of teeth on the opposite edge of the shank, co-operating teeth in the yoke in a plane between the pivot and jaws, the back of the shank being spaced from the inner side of the outer edge of the yoke, spring means in the recess operable to rotate the shank and yoke as a unit in one direction, a relatively strong spring between the yoke and shank tending to rotate the yoke on the first bearing point to hold the shank teeth in engagement with the yoke teeth, the yoke being operable on its pivot to carry the shank into contact with the second bearing point and open the jaws, the yoke being further movable on such pivot to release the yoke teeth from the shank teeth, the shank then being slidable across both bearing points, the second named spring then bearing on the shank in a right angle plane midway between the two bearing points whereby to equalize the frictional contact of the shank with the two bearing points and prevent any tendency of the shank to tip or rock during such sliding movement thereof.

LAWRENCE C. MEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 763,427 Rumery June 28, 1904 834,807 Hoffmann Oct. 30, 1906 2,315,807 Mead Apr. 6, 1943 759,813 Hudson May 10, 1904 2,278,062 De Koharovich Mar. 31, 1942 137,819 Anthony Apr. 15, 1873 437,276 Bauer Sept. 30, 1890 603,050 Sargent Apr. 26, 1898 

